I received an interesting telephone call at the office one day. A mom I knew asked me about a certain neighborhood. Her son had just bought a house there, and she wanted to know if it was a safe area. I paused a moment and stared at the phone. “Safe? Compared to what?” I asked.

I’ve received calls like this before. But I knew this lady’s son. I was at the airport when he returned from missionary duty in Africa. The story of his homecoming is dramatic. The country in which he served was in civil war. Internal conflict became so violent that the French Foreign Legion sent in troops to evacuate his family under gunfire.

So, when the mom told me where the house was located, I laughed and told her it was safe. “At least it’s safe compared to where they were. I’m certain the Foreign Legion has never extracted anyone from this neighborhood under gunfire. So, from that perspective, it’s pretty safe.” I don’t think she was satisfied with my answer.

One day, while I was talking to a guy about God, he said, “I’m a good person.” Again, I stopped and stared. “Good? Compared to what?” I asked. “If you’re comparing yourself to your buddies, then yes, I guess you are good. But that’s not how God judges. “As the Scriptures say, ‘No one is righteous— not even one.’” (Romans 3:10) God’s standard is perfection, too high for human attainment. So, no one is really a “good person” on their own merit.

Thankfully, one person attained God’s standard of sinless perfection. Then He offered Himself as a sacrifice for the rest of us. “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” (1 Peter 3:18) God’s judgment came, and Jesus took our place. In Him we can find grace and forgiveness. “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1) To me, that sounds both good and safe.